Cats Camp Notes: Day 1

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Kentucky defensive end Bud Dupree on the first day of preseason camp and freshman "bulldozer" Matt Elam.
Kyle Tucker, The C-J

THE BIG STORY

Kentucky football opened preseason practice bright and early Monday. Defensive end Bud Dupree's alarm went off at 5 a.m. and the Cats were on the field by 6.

"The hardest part was waking up," he said, "but once I got up, it felt like the middle of the day. We had a pretty good practice today, I think. It was a lot of enthusiasm for being so early. The early time didn't really bring anybody down. We played music to wake everybody up. It was a lot of guys flying around."

Head coach Mark Stoops, excluding one dropped interception and too many dropped passes by the wide receivers for his liking, generally agreed that it was a positive beginning.

"I really liked the energy for an early morning practice," Stoops said. "I thought we did a good job defensively, great communication, good competitive plays. Need to continue to clean up offensively, like you'd suspect – a little rusty – but overall good first day."

The Wildcats welcomed several potential impact newcomers from a consensus top-20 recruiting class, which increased the talent level significantly. The coaching staff has also boasted about the changes veterans made to their bodies in the offseason and an improved grasp of the schemes in Year 2 under Stoops.

"Day 1 was a lot better than Day 1 last year, I'll say that," secondary coach Derrick Ansley said, "in terms of guys just knowing where to be, guys not having that high anxiety. More leadership, more depth. We've got a lot of things to work on, but Day 1 was a good starting point."

Kentucky defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot on how his side of the ball looked as the Cats opened preseason camp.
Kyle Tucker, The C-J

DAY 1 STANDOUTS

Junior-college free safety A.J. Stamps "jumped out at me today," Stoops said. Stamps said he tells the coaches every day how glad he is that he enrolled in January and had the benefit of spring practice to learn the defense. Now he feels ready to help.

"We improved at that position," Stoops said. "There's no doubt in my mind."

It's too early to tell how many of the touted freshmen can help this fall, the coach said, but he wasn't shy about naming one in particular: 6-7, 375-pound defensive tackle Matt Elam, a U.S. Army All-American.

"Elam could give us some size inside that we need and some depth inside. He looks good, so we'll see where it goes," Stoops said. As for the weight: "He's working his way into shape. He carries it well, but we'll see how many snaps he can go right now."

Defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh called Elam "one of the best big athletes I've been around in a while." Defensive end Bud Dupree said he "fills holes good," laughing. "He will be a great bulldozer. Any time he's in, I think people will have to account for him."

NOTABLE

* Junior-college linebacker Ryan Flannigan, who arrived on campus Friday, jumped right into the fray Monday. Stoops said he was obviously behind the rest of the defense, but coordinator D.J. Eliot said thought it was a good start. "He did a good job. He's very athletic, caught on quick. It's what he needed to do, so I was impressed with him on the first day." Flannigan said he ran "a lot – a lot, a lot" while he waited to come to UK, to be sure he was in shape. He also received a playbook and regular quizzes over the phone from Eliot. "I passed a couple," Flannigan said.

* Senior wide receiver Demarco Robinson, who was suspended indefinitely late last season and missed the final two games, is back practicing with the team. "He's got some obligations to meet" before he'll be allowed to play, Stoops said. "I'll let you know before the first game." Robinson has 10 career starts and 53 catches for 527 yards and two touchdowns.

* No news about the three-man QB competition after the first practice. "You know you're not going to get much on that," Stoops said. "I think we need to continue to improve around the quarterback. Those guys need to step up and make the big catches and we need to function as a unit much better. I was a little disappointed that we dropped the ball a little bit today."

QUOTABLE

"I felt like Coach Stoops and the coaching staff were building something here, and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to be around when Kentucky is up on the national level. And I felt like it was coming. With the great coaching staff that we have and the great defensive coaching staff that we have, I feel like we can push it that far." – LB Ryan Flannigan

INJURY UPDATE

Wide receiver Jeff Badet (leg) was limited and will be for a week or two, but Stoops said fellow wide receiver Alex Montgomery, who suffered a setback in his ACL recovery this summer, was the only player who wasn't able to suit up at all Monday. Montgomery will be out the first two weeks of camp. Otherwise, "we're in pretty good shape," Stoops said.

* For instant updates on the Wildcats, follow me on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ. Email me at ktucker@courier-journal.com.